Football’s Shipley named to Lou Groza Award watch listing

By: Grace Tafolla

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Football senior kicker Mason Shipley was positioned on the preseason watch listing for the 2025 Lou Groza Award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission introduced Friday. The award yearly acknowledges faculty soccer’s prime place-kicker.

Shipley brings veteran expertise to Texas’ particular groups after enjoying in 38 profession video games throughout three seasons at Texas State. The Liberty Hill, Texas product has linked on 31-of-35 profession area objectives (88.6 p.c) and 111 PATs. Landing on the 2024 Lou Groza Award watch listing, Shipley went 15-of-19 (78.9 p.c) on area objectives with a protracted of 60 as a redshirt junior. He appeared in all 13 video games in 2024 and hit a 60-yard area objective vs. Sam Houston, setting a program and Sun Belt Conference file. He was tabbed a Lou Groza Award semifinalist in 2023 after making 15-of-15 area objectives, changing into one in every of two kickers within the nation with a one hundred pc area objective mark. He established a TSU file along with his 15 made area objectives and scored the second-most factors in program historical past (103). He transformed on all 4 area objective makes an attempt from 40-49 yards out, as effectively. He has additionally had important kickoff obligation expertise after kicking off 72 instances for 3,916 yards and 18 touchbacks in two seasons.

Accomplishments are tabulated all through the season and the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award will announce its 20 semifinalists on Nov. 18. From this listing, a panel of greater than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and present NFL kickers selects the highest three finalists for the award, introduced on Nov. 25. That similar group then selects the nationwide winner, who shall be introduced on Dec. 12 in the course of the Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.

The thirty fourth Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, introduced by the Orange Bowl, acknowledges the three finalists throughout a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a gala awards banquet on Dec. 8 in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

Shipley and the Longhorns kick off the season on the street at Ohio State at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Aug. 30, inside Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The recreation will broadcast as a part of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, and ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast reside from the Ohio State University campus. College GameDay will air for 3 hours from 8-11 a.m. CT, hosted by Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Pat McAffee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and different ESPN personalities. It would be the closing present for longtime ESPN character Lee Corso as he’s set to retire following Week 1 of the 2025 season.